A former expelled high school student returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday, opening fire to murdering 17 and injuring 15 others.

Identified as Nikolas Cruz, 19, the man was wearing a gas mask and carried smoke grenades.

Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida confirmed these details, stating that he was briefed by the FBI: Cruz: “set off the fire alarm so the kids would come pouring out of the classrooms into the hall. And there the carnage began.”

Nikolas Cruz photo/ Instagram

He said he did not know if the gunman had used the smoke grenades but he assumed that’s why he had a gas mask on.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has explained that Cruz surrendered to police without a struggle, was taken into custody and sent to the local hospital in Coral Springs.

Israel said the gunman had an AR-15 assault rifle and “countless magazines.”

“We already began to dissect his websites and the things on social media that he was on and some of the things that came to mind are very, very disturbing,” he said.

The Instagram page of the alleged shooter paints a picture of a man obsessed with guns and knives. One of the more recent posts shows target practice, captioned “Group therapy. Sometimes it really f—ing works.”

Cruz posed proudly with his weapons, which include pistols and knives, and in one Instagram post, he seemingly asks followers for advice on a certain model of gun: “I plan on getting this but I need more information on it so if someone could give advice on how much I’m spending and background cheeks [sic] please to god let me know.”

He also posed for selfies where he wore all black clothes and a balaclava.

One photograph shows a dead toad, which he claims to have killed.

Israel said that Cruz was expelled from Douglas High School at some point for disciplinary issues. He possibly later attended another local high school, J.P. Taravella High School, but the sheriff said they are still not clear how long he was there.

Nikolas Cruz

According to The Associated Press, Cruz was expelled after a fight with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Victoria Olvera told the AP that Cruz was abusive toward his ex-girlfriend. A teacher said Cruz stalked the girl.

Israel told the public, “If you see something, say something. If anybody has any indicator that someone’s going through a behavioral change, or on their social media that there are disturbing photos, perhaps bombs or firearms or just videos or pictures that are just not right, that there’s something off, please make sure law enforcement knows about it.”

CNN reports that a user named Nikolas Cruz left comments on several Youtube videos in which he talked about shooting people and violence.

Nine months ago, the user posted on a video clip from the NatGeo show “Alaska State Troopers: Armed and Dangerous,” writing, “I am going to kill law enforcement one day they go after the good people.”

Six months ago, the user wrote, “Im going watch them sheep fall f*ck antifa i wish to kill as many as i can,” on a Youtube video titled “Antifa Gun Club.”

Also nine months ago, Cruz commented, “I am going to do what he did,” on a video about the 1966 sniper shooting at the University of Texas.

CNN says the user wrote on other posts, “I whana shoot people with my AR-15 (sic)” and “I wanna die Fighting killing shit ton of people.” The user also wrote, “Elliot rodger will not be forgotten,” a reference to the 22-year-old California man who killed six people and wounded 14 others near UC Santa Barbara in 2014 before killing himself.

About the Author

Brandon Jones - Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professional in 2008 on sites like Examiner and blogs: Desk of Brian, Crazed Fanboy.
Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) will be a licensed Assembly of God Pastor by the Spring of 2017.
"Why do we do this?" I was asked and the answer is simple. "I just want the truth. I want a source of information that tells me what's going and clearly attempts to separate opinion from fact. Set aside left and right, old and young, just point to the world and say, 'Look!'"
To Contact Brandon email [email protected] ATTN: BRANDON

[…] 50, after a narrow 20-18 passage in the state senate. This bipartisan vote comes three weeks after Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., murdering 17 and injuring many […]

[…] lawmakers, advocates and survivors of the Florida shooting have called for gun control legislation in the wake of the shooting, which left 17 dead and 14 injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last […]

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